By MARK WAITE
PVT
A contract with the Nye County Law Enforcement Association retroactive for the last two years was rejected by a 3-2 vote of the Nye County Commission Thursday.
The three Pahrump commissioners who voted against the agreement: Gary Hollis, Fely Quitevis and Butch Borasky.
Nye County labor counsel Mark Ricciardi said the terms of the contract would be retroactive for the past two years after some problems coming to an agreement with the union.
Ricciardi reported the annual fiscal impact at $431,000. He said the contract would:
* Increase the county budget for base salaries by $229,000 for this fiscal year, from $5.74 million to $5.97 million;
* Hike health insurance costs by $104,000, from $564,480 to $669,030;
* Increase standby pay by $44,000, from $85,366 to $129,906;
* Increase shift differential pay by $26,000, from $61,021 to $87,174;
* Increase overtime on the shift differential pay by $5,941, from $13,862 to $19,803.
* Add another $20,000 for special assignments pay.
“I just want to clarify this $431,000 — we have to pay this,” Quitevis said.
Ricciardi told Borasky the expense was budgeted.
Even if this contract were approved, the labor attorney would then have to negotiate a contract with the sheriff’s deputies union for the term beginning July 1.
“This is abject stupidity,” said Travis Huggins, president of the Nye County Law Enforcement Association, after the vote. “This is their offer to me, which was rejected, which is two years overdue.”
The county had offered a 4 percent annual raise, he said.
The union will enter into arbitration with the county in an attempt to hammer out a contract, Huggins said. County commissioners will set a date to reconsider the contract during a special conference call.
The rejection led to angry words by one member of the sheriff’s office, Deputy Tom Klenczar, who threatened a boycott of Quitevis’ businesses.
Huggins said sheriff’s deputies pay their own health insurance separate from the county plan. While health insurance premiums have skyrocketed, members of the association haven’t received increased reimbursement, Huggins said
One member of the insurance pool, a deputy hired by the county, had major prior conditions including epileptic seizures and had to undergo brain surgery, he said.
The association represents deputy sheriffs, sergeants, district attorney investigators and juvenile probation officers who have been in their position at least one year.
Members who had to appear in court during their off-duty time would receive time and a half with a minimum of two hours pay.
The contract included longevity pay and retiree health benefits for those who began work prior to Dec. 1, 1998. The county would pay half the health insurance premiums for retirees who began work after that date.
Dear Mr DR.O
As for your satement get rid of the fire department. some things you need to know. it was a volneeter department,and not together. so before you attack something get the facts. I have lived here for over 20+ years.
First: Learn how to spell.
Second: Check out the No. of homes this Fire Dept. has saved that is within 3 miles of the Fire Station. OK?
Third: Let us make this within the last 8 years…to make it easy.
DRO
I guess yo tok the fire test and failed missurably. it’s ok.
I will email your blog details to a few of my contacts as i am confident they will not only want to read this prose but track your web site as you appear to have your finger on the pulse and can explain things in a lucid and appealing technique.
I still can’t get over the fact that the undersheriff makes over $150,000 a year. Seriously people? In 13 years I’ve only seen him once and that was when he showed up off duty after his ex rear-ended my daughter’s car and came to “fix” the problem because THEY had no proof of insurance in their(his) car.Good thing I showed up to stop them from bullying my pregnantdaughter. We taxpayers/citizens are being robbed.I’ll probably be a target now from the good ole boys.I have a few good stories from our wonderful sheriff’s office and I’m helping pay their $150,000 a year salary? And DA Beckett is another story. Kharma is a beatch isn’t it?
Good you were not beat up like me by our wonderful BEST?
Maybe next time they will come on your property and beat you?
Then, they will drag you out to the road and charge you with child abuse?
DRO
I’ve been reading the information on your site for quite some time now, just wanted to do a quick post and say thank you for all of the useful information you have been providing your readers all this time.
Starcraft 2 Protoss are a humanoid race that communicates through telepathy as they have no mouths and sustain themselves through a form of photosynthesis.
How about the county publish the names, rank and salary paid to each sheriff deputy and all other county employees last year(every dollar they were paid ).It is supposed to be a public record of every dollar of tax payers money spent by the county. Then let the public decide. If they want big city salaries then let them got to the big city. Public employee salaries should be comparable to other salaries paid in the private sector in the town.
If you have lived here long enough then you know that a few times a year PVT publishes the names, ranks, and salaries of County employees already. It is not the street cop who is in the trenches all day, every day, putting his life on the line that gets paid the big bucks. The street cops are getting paid, on average, about $20/hr.
It isn’t until you get up into the NCSO management and admin that the salaries get a little crazy. There is no reason that LT, Capt, and Asst Sheriffs should be making in excess of $100k/yr in a town like Pahrump. How about you shave the admin salaries down to a more reasonable number, which will in turn provide money that can be distributed out among those working the streets who deserve it. Look at what $200k would do if you put it in the right place…at least a couple grand a piece per year for the street cop.
So for all you people who say that the NCSO cops make too much money…that is like saying that all McDonald employees make too much money….just because a few guys in suits at the top are millionaires.
Just dump 50% of the cops…
They all can go to Ca.
Oh, Bell, Ca. is hiring we hear?
DRO
You ar such a losser. Git a life.
Dr. O, Ar you biter cuz you cant be a cop? Sounds lik it.
So true… the NCSO positions don’t warrent the over $100K salaries they are receiving. Neither does the Fire Chief who makes a pretty tidy sum as well. Incorporate so the funding will be there, the “city” will grow and support those salaries. The deputies on the street do more, protecting and servicing the community. Give them more money but taking some out of the lined pockets of the politically driven folks like Sheriff DeMeo.
Check out the hangings in the Jail?
How about someone with some commonn sense? A Degree demands more money and the Guy is now full of himself with the degree. He just wants more and won’t do his job. So why are Cops Hauling so many People to Jail? The Judicial Business is big Bucks. You hear all the time, Get Rid of the Lawyers, Also Judges.
I am sure you have heard about Bell Calif. and the High pay scale for the City Leaders, One making 2 times the Presidents Pay? I am sure that did not suprize anyone. No doubt getting rid of all City Jobs would be a good idea!
Richard: Crooks always gravitate to where the big money is. Why any of these Fellows are in Parhump blinds me. They are on their way up. Next stop will be LV.
Remember Millionaires are not the working People, They continue to steal to stay on top of things. You call them CROOKS!
THIS TOWN NEEDS TO GET THEIR HEAD OUT OF THE SAND AND SEE THAT THE FIRE DEPT AS WELL AS SOME MEMBERS OF THE SHERRIFS DEPT ARE DOING A GOOD JOB. IT IS THE IGNORANT TOWN BOARD WHO DO NOTHING. IN A TOWN THIS SIZE THEY SHOULD NOT BE RECEIVING THE SALARIES THEY GET. WE HAVE ROADS THAT NEED TO BE FIXED, A PLACE FOR KIDS TO DO SOMETHING, NEW BUSINESS COMING TO TOWN. THE BOARD MAKES IT TOUGH FOR NEW BUSINES TO OPEN HERE. I AM TIRED OF JUST CASINO FOOD OR HAMBURGERS, TACOS ETC. WE NEED CHAIN RESTURANTS. WE ALSO NEED TO CLEAN UP THE TOWN. BUSINESS’S HAVE JUNK THAT HAS BEEN VISABLE ON THE PROPERTY FOR YEARS. WHAT IS THE CODE INFORCEMENT IN THIS TOWN DOING?
Wow! Really? I have lived in Pahrump for over 10 years. There have been a few times that I have had to encounter our Sheriff’s Deputies and I have never once had a bad run in with any of them. Sure, I got a speeding ticket one time, but I was speeding,then there was the time I witnesses a domestic assult & battery and the time they raided and cleaned out the Meth Lab on my street. The Deputies have always been helpful and understanding during all of these incidents. Yet, after reading some of these posts you would think that we don’t need half of the Deputies or that they are paid too much.
Look at the Sheriff’s Report. We have armed robberies, home invasions, child abuse, rape, drugs, drugs, drugs, battery, assults, murder, etc. These are the same problems “Big City Cops” have to deal with. Are you willing to go out and take care of these problems? Do you want to have to wait for an officer to finish with another emergency after you’ve been shot during a home invasion?
There was less than a two minute response time to man chasing after his girlfriend with a loaded rifle. Deputy Deutch was shot and killed in that incident. What would have happened to the people at Lakeside that day if the Deputies were so short staffed that they couldn’t respond quickly? Would you have wanted be there, would you have taken a bullet to protect them? We will never know because the Deputies that we pay to protect us were doing thier job.
The amount requested for the Deputies is a fair amount for the job that they do. If you are unhappy with the wages that other Pahrump employers pay thier employees then maybe you should take it up with those businesses.
Thank you PahrumpResident. I agree with what you said. They make $20 an hour, officers that have been officers for 6 years still make $20 an hour. They pay something like $400+ for medical benefits for their families, when they only make $20 an hour. My husband wanted to be a deputy when we moved here, but can’t leave his current job if they should hire him for the fact we cant pay our bills,and have health insurance for our children at that $20 an hour. They are out there on Christmas, and Thanksgiving, many having to give up time with their families, to help watch over our town. There are some nights we have a total of 2 deputies out patroling our town. So what happens if one needs back up, and the other is out at an equally important of a call? SOL people. If you have a problem with the deputies that means you probably are one of Pahrump’s finest residents, and have been caught doing something you weren’t supposed to. I have had the pleasure of meeting some of our deputies, detectives, and our Mr. Demeo and have found them to be hard working, caring people, they stay working for our town because they love living here. Pahrump is loosing and will loose good deputies, if they don’t get a contract. Any other union would strike after two years.
Again,,how about listing the alaries of ALL COUNTY AND TOWN EMPLOYEES!
Let the people see what they make then let the people decide of the salaries are OK. I am sure that we will see that Pahrump and Nye County have a lot on common with Bell,California.. Taxes are too high and the sevices from the town and county suck!! Let’s see the numbers,,every dollar!
Aren’t ya’ll tired of people making fun of Pahrump and saying the people out here are stupid and have no teeth. I would like to make this a better place for my kids, lets incorparate!
Hey, I have all my teeth!